They perform. They paint. They move and shake—and they're all under 35. Meet the next generation of art-world power players.

The Activist: Alison Klayman

The Activist: Alison Klayman

Age: 28
Documentary Filmmaker
New York

One year ago, Klayman was a freelance radio journalist. Today, she’s an internationally recognized filmmaker, known for her debut documentary, Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, about the Chinese dissident artist. In the spring of 2011, Klayman, who’d met Ai through a friend, was editing the film when he was detained by the Chinese government for 81 days—they say for tax evasion; he says for his critique of their human-rights violations and censorship of free speech. The following January, Never Sorry premiered to a standing ovation at Sundance and widespread critical acclaim. Next up, Klayman says she’d like to tell more stories about “freedom of expression and truth tellers in our society.”